In 1903 the Agua Caleinte Cupeno were removed from their ancestral tribal home, the Village of Kupa also known as Warner's Hot Springs. The Cupeno were forced onto the Pala Indian Reservation. This is known as the Cupeno Trail of Tears.
On June 1st, 2011 and February 1st, 2012 162 Warner Ranch Evictee Agua Caliente Cupeno were removed from the PBMI Association by the Pala Enrollment Committee. This is our Second Trail of Tears.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

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Chairman Smith has served as tribal chairman since first being elected in 1990. Theresa Nieto has served on the Tribal Council since 2001 and Sheila Lopez was re-elected to a third term as councilmember at-large, a position she has held since 2012.

“I am extremely proud to continue to serve the tribe as chairman,” said Robert Smith. “We had a great election turnout and the strong support for our current Tribal Council members illustrates confidence in the progress we have made culturally, socially and economically. The Tribal Council and I look forward to continuing this progress and achieving even more in the years to come.”
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Friday, November 18, 2016

The San Diego Union Tribune reported yesterday that the Pala Band purchased part of Gregory Canyon effectively ending the 25 year fight over the landfill. Purchase Price: $13 million. There will probably be no Christmas bonus this year for Pala members but hey, you got some sacred land back.

You can read the article at the link below. Shasta Gaughen said:

"“The deal includes all of Gregory Mountain — we already owned the eastern side — and all of Gregory Canyon, so that makes it impossible for there to be any sort of landfill development there,” said Shasta Gaughen, the tribe’s environmental director and historic preservation officer. “This outcome, with the tribe owning one of the most sacred sites we have — I didn't’ see it ending like this and I couldn’t be happier.”

"We are really excited about the launch of this new gaming product," Pala chief executive Bill Bembenek commented. “We believe the games will provide another high-quality gaming experience for our guests especially those who are not able to visit our resort.
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Monday, November 7, 2016

The Pala Tribe can now develop water quality standards for their waters within the Tribe’s Reservation, similar to the process used by states under Sections 303 and 401 of the Clean Water Act. After the Tribe develops and EPA approves the standards, the Pala Tribe will administer surface water quality standards, building upon existing successful environmental programs run by the Pala Environmental Department.